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The Lamentable and Tragical History of Titus Andronicus; with the/ Fall of his 25 Sons, in the Wars of Goths, with the manner of the Ravishment of his Daughter Lavinia/ by the Empresses two Sons, through the means of a Bloody Moor, taken by the Sword of Titus, in the/ War; with his Revenge upon their Cruel and Inhumane Act.University of California - Santa BarbaraThe Early Modern CenterDirectorPatricia Fumerton1684-1686Early Modern Center, University of California Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA08/24/200720800

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Patricia FumertonEarly Modern Center - English DepartmentUniversity of CaliforniaSanta Barbara, CA 93105United States of AmericaEMail: pfumer@english.ucsb.edu

2.184-185R2343671Fortune My FoeFortune My FoeFortune My FoeYOu Noble minds, and famous Martial Wights,/ That in defence of Native Countries fights,title unclear: The Lamentable and Tragical History of Titus Andronicus; wi[t]h the / Fall of his 25 Sons, in the Wars of Goths, with the manner of the Ravishment of his Daughter La[vinia] / by the Empresses two Sons, through the means of a Bloody Moor, taken by the Sword of Titus, in the / War; with his Revenge upon their Cruel and Inhumane Act.Pepys 2.184-185Wing L254[a]A; Rollins (2) 2643 (Feb. 6, 1594, II, 644, Jno. Danter); Rollins (2) 2644 (Dec. 14, 1624, IV, 131); Rollins (2) 1123 (Mch. 13, 1656, ii, 37); Rollins (2) 1420 (Mch. 1, 1675, ii, 497).Pepys LibraryThe Pepys ballads : facsimile volumeEditorW.G. DayD.S. BrewerCambridge [England]1987
Information in this section of the Source Description
refers to the original ballad manuscript.
2: 1842: 185The Lamentable and Tragical History of Titus Andronicus; with the/ Fall of his 25 Sons, in the Wars of Goths, with the manner of the Ravishment of his Daughter Lavinia/ by the Empresses two Sons, through the means of a Bloody Moor, taken by the Sword of Titus, in the/ War; with his Revenge upon their Cruel and Inhumane Act.The Lamentable and Tragical History of Titus Andronicus; with the Fall of his 25 Sons, in the Wars of Goths, with the manner of the Ravishment of his Daughter La[vini]a by the Empresses two Sons, through the means of a Bloody Moor, taken by the Sword of Titus, in the War; with his Revenge upon their Cruel and Inhumane Act.The Lamentable and Tragical History of Titus Andronicus; With the Fall of His 25 Sons, in the Wars of Goths, With the Manner of the Ravishment of His Daughter Lavinia by the Empress' Two Sons, Through the Means of a Bloody Moor, Taken by the Sword of Titus, in the War; With His Revenge Upon Their Cruel and Inhuman Act.single sheet oblong folio, pasted across 2 pages, 260 x ?360cropped left and right edges, creased surface, uneven inking1684-1686Printed for I. Clarke, W. Thackeray, and T. Passinger.J. Clarke, W. Thackeray, T. PassingerBlagden

The Lamentable and Tragical History of Titus Andronicus; with theFall of his 25 Sons, in the Wars of Goths, with the manner of the Ravishment of his Daughter La[vini]aby the Empresses two Sons, through the means of a Bloody Moor, taken by the Sword of Titus, in theWar; with his Revenge upon their Cruel and Inhumane Act.To the Tune of, Fortune my Foe.

YOu Noble minds, and famous Martial Wights,That in defence of Native Countries fights,Give ear to me that ten years fought for Rome,Yet reap'd disgrace at my returning home.In Rome I liv'd in fame full threescore yearsMy name beloved was of all my peers,Full five and twenty valiant Sons I had,Whose forward vertues made their Father glad,For when Romes foes their warlike forces feltAgainst them still my Sons and I were sent;Against the Goths full ten years weary warWe spent, receiving many a bloody scar.Just two and twenty of my sons were slain,Before I did return to Rome again;Of five and twenty Sons I brought but threeAlive, the stately tower of Rome to see.When wars were done, I conquest home did bring,And did present my prisoners to the King:The Queen of Goths, her Sons, and eke a Moor,Who did such Murders like were none before.The Emperor did make the Queen his wife,Which bread in Rome debate and deadly strife:The Moor with her two Sons did grow so proud,That none like them in Rome might be allow'd.

The moor so pleased this new Empress eyeThat she consented to him secretly:For to abuse her husbands Marriage bed,And so in time a Blackamore she bred.Then she whose thoughts to Murder was inclindConsented with the moor with bloody mind,Against my self, my kin, and all my friends,In cruel sort to bring them to their ends.So when in age I thought to live in peace,Both care and grief began then to encrease;Amongst my Sons I had one daughter bright,Which joy'd and pleased best my aged sight.My Lavinia was betrothed thenTo Caesers Son, a young and noble man:Who in a hunting, by the Emperors wifeAnd her two Sons, bereaved were of life.He being slain was cast in cruel wise,Into a darksome den from light of Skies,The cruel moor did come that way as then,With my three Sons who fell into the den.The Moor then fetcht the Emperor with speed,For to accuse them of that murderous deed:And when my Sons within the den was found,In wrongful prison were they cast and bound.

B[U]t now behold what wounded most my mindThe Empresses two Sons of Tygers kindMy Daughter ravished without remorse,And took away her honour quite perforce.When they had tasted of so sweet a Flower,Fearing this sweet should turned be to sower:They cut her tongue whereby she could not tellHow that dishonour unto her befell.Then both her hands they basely cut off quite,Whereby their wickedness she could not writeNor with her needle on her sampler Sow,The bloody workers of her dismal woe.My Brother Marcus found her in the wood,Staining the grassie ground with purple bloodThat trickled from her stumps & handless armsNo tongue at all she had to tell her harms,But when I saw her in that woful case,With tears of blood I wet my aged face;For my Lavinia I lamented more,Then for my two and twenty sons before.When as I saw she could not write nor speakWith grief my aged heart began to break,We spread a heap of sand upon the Ground,Whereby the bloody Tyrants out we found.For with a staff without the help of hand,She writ these words upon a plat of Sand:The lustful Sons of the proud Emperess,Are doers of this hateful wickedness.I tore the milk-white hairs from off my headI curst the hour wherein I first was bred,I wisht the hand that fought for Countrys fameIn cradle rockt had first been strucken lame.The Moor delighting still in villany,Did say to set my Sons from prison free,I should unto the King my right hand giveAnd then my three imprisoned sons should live

The Moor I caus'd to strike it off with speed,Whereat I grieved not to see it bleed,But for my Sons would willingly impart,And for their ransome send my bleeding heart.But as my life did linger thus in vain,They send to me my bootless hand again:And therewithal the heads of my three Sons,Which fil'd my dying heart with fresher groanThen past relief I up and down did goAnd with my tears writ in the dust my woe,I shot my arrows toward heaven highAnd for revenge to hell did often cry.The Empress thinking then that I was mad,Like furies she and both her Sons were glad:So nam'd revenge, and rape on murder they,To undermine and hear what I would say.I fed their foolish veins a little space,Until my friends did find a secret place,Where both her Sons unto a post was bound,Where just revenge in cruel sort was found.I cut their throats, my daughter held the panBetwixt her stumps, wherein the blood it ran:And then I ground their bones to powder smallAnd made a paste for Pies straight therewithal.Then with their flesh I made two mighty pies,And at a banquet serv'd in stately wise:Before the Empress set this loathsome meat,So of her sons own flesh she well did eat.My self bereav'd my Daughter then of life,The Empress then I slew with bloody Knife,And stab'd the Emperor immediately,And then my self, even so did Titus dye.Then this revenge against the Moor was found,Alive they set him half into the ground;Whereas he stood until such time he starv'd,And so God send all Murtherers may be serv'd.